Warboss
klan Warboss -- the ruling chieftains of Ork society]] A Warboss is the biggest, the greenest, and the meanest Ork in a tribe or klan, and as such, he's the supreme commander of every Greenskin that falls under his jurisdiction. Relatively cunning strategists (by Ork standards) and exceedingly powerful warriors, these brutes rise through the Ork ranks by winning battles and killing every challenger to his power who puts himself in the way of the putative Warboss. These monstrous killing machines can reach up to ten Terran feet in height, and their sheer muscular bulk makes them wider at the shoulder than a fully armoured Space Marine. Though some Warbosses rise to prominence through low cunning, most seize power through the application of brute force. A Warboss will hold dominion over all he surveys, and beat the living daylights out of anyone who says different. His decisions are enforced by a ruling caste of Orks known as Nobz, who are larger, richer and more aggressive than normal Orks, and never miss an opportunity to remind their fellows of it. Role Warboss]] An Ork Warboss serves as a chieftain who is the proven leader of an Ork warband as well as the physically largest and most powerful Ork in the warband or WAAAGH!. First and foremost, Warbosses are warriors, and they excel at the art of war. In battle, they lead from the front, giving full reign to their bloodlust, and driving their mobs to ever greater feats of savagery and brutality. They charge into their enemies at the side of their Boyz, hacking and slashing and tearing their opponents limb from limb in a bloody whirlwind of screaming violence. In the heat of battle, a Warboss expresses the qualities to which every Ork aspires, and they become, in a sense, living avatars of Gork and Mork, the twin gods of the Orkish pantheon. Their brutality and effectiveness on the field of battle is awe-inspiring, and even the hardened Battle-Brothers of the Adeptus Astartes treat truly aged and successful Warbosses with a modicum of respect, for they recognize true martial greatness when they see it. Warbosses who are particularly powerful, wealthy, and successful on the field of battle often take on the title of Warlord. In doing so, the Warboss consolidates power by bringing together disparate Ork tribes, mobs, and warbands under his banner to serve some greater purpose. Usually, this greater purpose is simply to sweep through star systems to fight as many fights as they can and to collect as much treasure as they can carry. Occasionally, however, such an army turns into a fullblown WAAAGH! and can pose a grave threat to even the most strongly fortified Imperial Sector or Segmentum. Storied and ruthless killers such as the Arch-Arsonist of Charadon and the legendary Ghazghkull Mag Uruk Thraka, Prophet of the WAAAGH!, are but two examples of the terror Orks who ascend to the rank of Warboss can wreak upon the Imperium and its holdings. 's armoured and shooty wagons]] A Warboss is invariably the biggest and baddest Ork around, the most wrathful and avaricious of his kin, for it he were not so, he would not be the Warboss. He keeps the other Orks in line with the force of his domineering personality and a brutal beating from time to time. Indeed, thanks to the peculiar Orkish genetic structure, victory in challenge after challenge and the respect of his lessers will act as a growth hormone on the Boss' body, and he will keep putting on size and muscle, his very nature ensuring the Warboss will remain the largest and meanest Ork of his whole WAAAGH!. This will continue until he either dies, or another Ork manages to defeat him in a contest of strength. By virtue of being the strongest, the Warboss gets the pick of any wargear and loot the warband accumulates, and gathers the best Ork fighters from the warband as his bodyguard. Warbosses often have their own entourage of Nobz, Squigs, Gretchin, or other slave creatures. A Warboss often decorates his chosen helm with huge horns, wears a crude banner affixed to his back or allows it to be carried by a Grot, and may replace his own jaw with a massive cybernetic prosthesis that has been grafted onto his skull. Some Warbosses also pursue other bionic enhancements (called "bioniks" by the Orks) from his local Mad Doks. Whenever a Warboss is killed, the largest Ork Nob in his retinue will take his place, after brutally restoring order among the klan or WAAAGH! and establishing himself as the new Warboss. At times a Warboss' authority may be challenged by his rivals. The outcome of such struggles for power can be resolved in a number of ways. Some Orks prefer low kunnin' (such as assassination or ambush), whilst others will engage in some ritual duel, whether simple brawls, or more elaborate ritual contests such as the famous "Eadbuttin' Kontest" where two Orks keep headbutting one another until one of the contestants passes out from cranial trauma. Among the Orks present in the Jericho Reach, the second option is much preferred, and every Ork settlement in the Reach possesses a fighting pit where the outcome of such challenges can be determined. In fact, many of these pit fights are used as a crude form of Greenskin judicial system, with the outcome of the fight resolving any kind of dispute over loot or position. Boss Poles and Trophies of War Warlord Ghengiz Grimtoof the Git-Slayer, leader of WAAAGH! Grimtoof, sitting upon his throne in front of his impressive array of war trophies]] Bosses are judged not only on their size, greenness, and killiness, but also on their martial prowess, and how many foes they have killed over the years. Most Orks in a mob have lived through each one of their boss' victories, and retell each tale over and over again. However, Bosses like to keep these memories fresh, and take any opportunity to shore up their position by reminding 'da Boyz why he's 'da Boss. To this end, Warbosses both drape themselves in personal banners and panoply that detail their achievements on the field and collect trophies from their mightiest foes. Boss poles are simply a tall pole with a cross arm about a quarter of the way from the top, worn on the Warboss' back when he rides into battle. Hung from the boss pole above the Boss' head are a number of banners, pennants, trinkets, gubbins, and skulls of various vanquished enemies. The banners and pennants are covered in crude Ork glyphs, pictograms, and horribly-spelled Low Gothic slogans that catalogue the Boss' battlefield history, telling of his "kunnin'" and deadliness in battle. Seeing these banners flying in the wind as the Boss wades into the thick of battle surrounded by his Nobz rouses the Boyz' fervour even further than normal, and they become more dangerous and reckless as a result. Along with the boss pole, any Warboss worth his teef has a large collection of trophies taken from defeated foes. These trophies are typically the heads of enemies, pickled or mummified and kept on display in the Warboss' lodge. Trophies can take any form, however, and range from loot and weapons to bits of Power Armour or even looted tanks and fighting vehicles. Bosses often take their trophies into battle with them, hanging them from their belts or boss poles to rattle his enemies and fire up 'da ladz. Warboss Tactics A Warboss is likely to base his command strategy upon his personal klan affiliation. Once faced with an enemy, a Warboss typically rushes to close combat whether he launched the ambush or was caught unawares, shouting for his Boyz to follow his lead and charging heedlessly. Once he reaches close combat, he smashes his foes apart with his raw might. Once engaged in enthusiastic slaughter, a Warboss is unlikely to retreat from battle. Though individual Warbosses vary in their preferred tactics, many Warbosses enjoy finding the biggest opponents they can and felling them with indiscriminate gunfire, savage blows, or a combination of the two, to once again assert their might over the other Greenskins who follow them. A Warboss tends to commit wholly to his preferred method of assault, typically without caution or care. Notable Ork Warbosses The following is a list of notable Ork Warbosses that have terrorised the galaxy since the Age of the Imperium began in the late 30th Millennium of the Imperial Calendar: Wargear *'Ard Armour *'Twin-Linked Big Shoota' *'Big Choppa' *'Power Klaw' *'Boss Pole' *'Ork Teef' *'Shiny Bitz' *'Trophy' *'Pet Attack Squig' Sources *''Codex: Armageddon'' (3rd Edition), pg. 30 *''Codex: Blood Angels'' (5th Edition), pp. 14, 20-21 *''Codex: Dark Angels'' (4th Edition), pp. 40-41 *''Codex: Dark Eldar'' (5th Edition), pp. 22-23 *''Codex: Grey Knights'' (5th Edition), pg. 16 *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (5th Edition), pg. 23 *''Codex: Imperial Guard'' (5th Edition), pp. 22, 27 *''Codex: Necrons'' (5th Edition), pp. 14, 20 *''Codex: Orks'' (4th Edition), pp. 23, 26, 28-29, 32 *''Codex: Orks'' (3rd Edition), pp. 3, 8, 12 *''Codex: Space Marines'' (5th Edition), pp. 36-37, 40, 49, 92 *''Codex: Space Wolves'' (5th Edition), pp. 18, 86 *''Codex: Tau Empire'' (6th Edition), pg. 28 *''Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos'' (RPG), pg. 58 *''Farsight Enclaves - A Codex: Tau Empire Supplement'' (6th Edition) (Digital Edition), pp. 46-48 *''Codex: Tyranids'' (5th Edition), pp. 30-31 *''Deathwatch: Mark of the Xenos'' (RPG), pg. 58 *''Imperial Armour Volume One - The Imperial Guard & Imperial Navy'', pp. 31, 42-43, 83 *''Imperial Armour Volume Eight - The Invasion of Kastorel-Novem'', pp. 6-7, 120-123 *''Imperial Armour Volume Nine - The Badab War, Part One'', pg. 100 *''Imperial Armour Volume Ten - The Badab War, Part Two'', pp. 75-77 *''Imperial Armour Volume Eleven - The Doom of Mymeara'', pg. 76 *''Index Astartes IV'', "Sons of Horus - The Black Legion Space Marine Legion" *''Only War: Core Rulebook'' (RPG), pp. 343-345 *''Rogue Trader: Battlefleet Koronus'' (RPG), pg. 59 *''The Art of Warhammer 40,000'', pg. 189 *''Treacheries of the Space Marines'' (Anthology), "The Masters Bidding," by Matthew Farrer *''Warhammer 40,000: Apocalypse'', pp. 3-6 *''Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook'' (6th Edition), pp. 168-169, 201 *''Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook'' (5th Edition), pp. 31, 162-164 *''Warhammer 40,000: Rulebook'' (4th Edition), pg. 153 *''Gorkamorka'' (Specialist Games rulebook) *''White Dwarf'' 256 (UK), "Warriors of Old - Space Marine Dreadnoughts," by Graham McNeill, Pete Haines & Andy Chambers, pp. 13, 15 *''White Dwarf'' 345 (UK), "The Battle for Black Reach," by Phil Kelly, pp. 52-79 *''White Dwarf'' 349 (UK), "Waaagh! Bork," by Phil Kelly, pp. 55-61 *''Horus Rising'' (Novel) by Dan Abnett *''Death or Glory'' (Novel) by Sandy Mitchell *''Sabre Tooth Games - Dark Millennium'' (CCG) *''Dawn of War II'' (PC Game) *''Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine'' (PC Game) *[http://www.games-workshop.com/MEDIA_CustomProductCatalog/m1320010_Swordwind_Part_3_-_Baran_War.pdf Swordwind Part 3: The Baran War] Gallery WarbossArt.jpg|An Ork Warboss and his Attack Squig File:Warboss_Powerclaw.jpg|An Ork Warboss armed with a Power Klaw File:Ork_Freebooterz_Warboss.jpg|A Warboss who leads Ork Freebooterz Ork_Warboss_with_Group.jpg|An Ork Warboss with his Nobz File:Warboss_Grimtoof.jpg|Warboss Grimtoof, leader of the Ork horde assaulting the Spinward Front in the Calixis Sector's Periphery Sub-sector File:Ork_Warboss_vs._Hospitalers_Space_Marine.jpg|A massive Ork Warboss fighting a Space Marine of the Hospitallers Chapter es:Kaudillo Category:W Category:Ork Category:Ork Boyz Category:Ork Characters Category:History Category:Titles